The Diary of a Dude Wrangler

The Diary of a Dude Wrangler

The Diary of a Dude Wrangler by Struthers Burt is a hallmark book in the world of dude ranches in the American West. This book chronicles the life and experience of what it was like to build, live on, and visit the Bar BC dude ranch in Jackson Hole. Struther’s words are both entertaining and pointed. He was willing to identify things as they were, unafraid of differing opinions.

This book is a rare glimpse into Wyoming life in the early 1900s. As Jackson Hole was (and is still) remote, there was limited access for people. As such, this adventurous place received limited exposure to the outside world. Jackson Hole is now world-famous, due in part, to this book and Burt’s work and writings.

The ranch is now located inside of Grand Teton National Park, one of the most iconic parks in the United States. Situated along the Snake River and accessible by the River Road, the ranch can still be visited today. The park and historical societies of the valley have begun work to repair and stabilize the remaining buildings from the ranch.

Quotes from The Diary of a Dude Wrangler:

City day-schools are an abomination before the Lord. To bring a small boy up in the city is to make him walk through hell. He is lucky if he comes through unscathed.

The era of ‘fake news,’ moreover, was at its height. As schools for sensational fiction-writing there has never been anything invented the equal of the daily newspapers of twenty-five years ago.

But most of her life had been spent in Paris, and even in New York she wasn’t accustomed to going about very much without her maid, so you can see that for all her gaiety and courage and good sense, she didn’t know much about bears.

About the Author

Struthers Burt lived from 1882–1854. He is listed as being born in the Americas, as it appears the record of exactly where he was born was lost. He was a pioneering visionary of Jackson Hole. After graduating Princeton University in 1904, he founded the JY Ranch and ultimately went on to establish the famous Bar BC Ranch. He was one of the people instrumental in creating Grand Teton National Park.